» Listings for March 2019

1. Children take part in air pollution study - pollution affects us all

   Posted on 9:00pm Tuesday 26th Mar 2019

   Did you know there’s research being undertaken to find out how badly school children are affected by pollution every day? The Daily Mail reports that 250 pupils in schools across London are gathering data for one week.  They are carrying pollution sensors made by Dyson in lightweight backpacks.  The sensors only weigh just over 1kg and take one pocket, so the rest of the space in the backpack can be used for books etc. The sensors can measure both particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels and will enable the researchers to gain a better understanding of which pollutions are the most harmful.  The study is being run by King’s College London and it’s hoped that the findings will discover at which points and on which routes youngsters are most exposed to toxic pollutants.  As I’m so fond of saying, you can’t expect to be healthy if your environment isn’t healthy too.  If we can improve the air for people, it will help animals as well.

    

2. Blue Planet Live and Blue Planet UK comes to the BBC

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 24th Mar 2019

   There’s some fantastic television to watch on the BBC this week (starting Sunday 24 March 2019), with Blue Planet programmes in abundance. Pick of the Week, according to The Sunday Times (Culture Section) is Blue Planet Live.   It’s on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings on BBC1 at 8pm.  This short series sets out on a mission to explore the health of the oceans.  An aquadynamic team will be broadcasting live from different marine locations during the week. Chris Packham examines the well being of whales in Mexico; this includes mother-and-calf arrivals in the largest whale nursery in the world. Steve Backshall is in the Bahamas and sees sharks and shipwrecks. Liz Bonnin is at the Great Barrier Reef.   She is meeting baby turtles and shearwater chicks and she checks up on the coral itself. Visit Blue Planet Live’s website here And there’s more! Blue Planet UK looks at the UK side of marine life.  There’s reports on Yorkshire seabirds, kayak clean-ups and shark science with Gillian Burke, Steve Brown and Chris Packham. Blue Planet UK is on just after 4pm on BBC1 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  Don’t miss it!  Visit Blue Planet UK’s website here Get involved in ocean conservation – tips from the programme’s website

   Blue Planet II from Amazon	Life on Earth from Amazon	No More Plastic from Amazon

    

3. Chitwan National Park - Entrepreneurs and Conservationists work together

   Posted on 9:00pm Monday 11th Mar 2019

   There’s been an interesting development in Chitwan between conservationists and the local business community. The conservationists held an interactive programme with the business community to discuss the responsibility of all stakeholders in conserving wildlife in the area.  The programme was organised by the Ratnanagar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.   The conservationists said that conserving wildlife is vital to both save the ecosystem and help local communities enjoy economic benefits. The Chitwan National Park is home to areas such as one-horned rhinos, tigers, elephants and others.  It’s the first conservation area of the country and as such the area – especially the tourism industry – will benefit if wildlife is part of the agenda. Tourists will come far and wide to see the animals.   As well as revenue coming into the area, there will be employment opportunities for local people.  Businesses were urged to refrain from undertaking activities which could affect wildlife conservation.   And information was distributed about the legal repercussions of harming, poaching and smuggling wild animals.  Businesses were asked for help in raising awareness about smuggling animal parts and helping the local authorities to stop it.  Businesses were also reminded about their legal responsibilities in meeting and maintaining environmental standards so that the balance of the ecosystem would be preserved. The business community as a whole agreed to carry out their work while taking steps to protect animals and forests.  The interaction programme was organised to enable entrepreneurs to be aware of the conservation of the environment and wildlife as they ran their businesses.   About 100 entrepreneurs attended the event. This is a terrific initiative and wouldn’t it be great if there was more collaboration between businesses and conservationists elsewhere?  Well done to everyone involved :-)